Owa-Onire Community Urges Governor AbdulRasaq to Reconsider New Road Project

Date: 2024-05-14

According to a news report from New Telegraph, residents of Owa-Onire community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State have called upon Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to abandon plans for constructing a 21-kilometre road leading to Owu Waterfalls, deeming it unnecessary expenditure.

In a statement issued by the Concerned Indigenes of Owa-Onire community, jointly signed by coordinator Mr. Adebola Ogunbiyi and spokesperson Sunday Akanbi, the community suggested that the government should instead focus on completing the original route to the waterfall, which was initiated in 2008 under the administration of former Governor Bukola Saraki.

This plea comes just three days after the state executive council sanctioned a new contract for the construction of a 21-kilometre road to Owu Falls, with an initial phase costing over N3.9 billion.

According to the community members, the original contract initiated by Saraki's administration is already 20% completed, advocating for its continuation rather than launching a fresh project for the same purpose.

The group added that the initial contractor, “Bulletine construction company Nigeria Limited has worked and asphalted three kilometres of the 15-kilometre Owu-falls road project.

“Only three kilometres out of the 15km road stretch (representing only 20 per cent) from Iwo/Sabaja-Isin to Oba-Isin was tarred while the remaining 12-km from Oba-Isin-Owa-Onire-Owu falls was only opened up to the foot of the waterfall and eventually abandoned since 2010 after millions of Naira had been committed to the project”, they said.

The people said that the state government was deceived into awarding another contract by some politicians they described as selfish.

“In terms of distance, the remaining 12-km road is shorter than the fresh 21-km road with a difference of 9km. This 12-km road from Owa-Onire leads right to the foot of the falls without having to alight from vehicle and trek certain hilly distance, unlike the other proposed road.

“Not less than 10 communities along this 12km linear road will have it pass through them and benefit directly (Ijara-Isin, Iji-Isin, Owu-lsin, Sabaja-Isin, Oba-Isin and Owa-Onire) or serve indirectly (lwo-Isin, Kudu Owode, Pamo-lsin, Odo-Ore) and could prompt swift growth in their social-economic development.

“The geophysical nature of the 12km 0ba-Isin-Owa-Onire Owu-Falls road makes it less hilly thereby making its construction less laborious unlike the other proposed road”, they posited.

“In terms of cost of construction, one needs no soothsayer to know that the short distance of 12km 0ba-Isin-Owa-Onire-Owu-Falls road with easy geophysical nature will certainly have its cost of construction reduced to the barest minimum as compared to a longer 21-km road with more mountainous hilly terrain.

“More glaring is the fact that the 12km Oba-Isin-Owa-Onire-Owu-Falls road has been in use and is currently still in use by tourists to visit the great Water Falls”, they argued.

They reminded the Governor of his promise on Sunday, December 15, 2019 to complete the abandoned 15km road.

“We see this as very unfair and we abhor it. In view of all the above highlighted reasons, Owa-Onire Community is hereby appealing to Governor AbdulRazaq and the innermost conscience of the state government to revisit the issue of Owu-Falls road construction project with a view to righting the wrongs by also awarding the construction and completion of this 12km Oba-Isin-Owa-Onire-Owu-Falls road to a serious and competent contractor that will ensure its completion with fiat to avoid a repeat of the abandonment it suffered during the former Governor Bukola Saraki administration.

Recall that Owu falls is the highest waterfall in West Africa measuring 120 metres above water level and cascading 330 feet down an escarpment a major boost for tourism in not just the state but in Nigeria and West Africa subregion.

 


Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Sanusi Abubakar     Sheikh Hamzat Yusuf Ariyibi     Nigeria Customs Service     Isiaka Alikinla     Saka Saadu     Omotoso Musa     Share/Tsaragi     Abdulkarim Adisa     Wahab Abayawo     Road Transport Employers Association Of Nigeria     Makama Of Ilorin     Rafiu Ajakaye     Lanre Jimoh     Islamic Development Bank     Muhammad Sirajo Aliyu     Binta Sulyman     Adaramaja     Olatunji Bamgbola     Michael Ologundea     Moro     Jide Oyinloye     Modupe Oluwole     Sebastine Obasi     Abdulkadri Ahmad Alaiye     Ayeyemi Sulaiman     CCB     Marufat Oladosu     Atunwa     Adewuyi Funmilayo     ASKOMP     Mohammed Halidu     Ibrahim Jawondo     Abdul Jimoh Mohammed     Umar Saro     Forgo Battery     Mohammed Lawal     Onilorin Of Ilorin     Khadijat Ayoola Yusuf     Baba Issa Awoye     Oba David Oyerinola Adedunmoye     Abdulwaheed Musa     Student Learning Support Helpline     Hassanat Bello     Universal Basic Education Commission     Folashade Omoniyi     ENetSuD     Diagnostic Centre     Kubra Kazum     Femi Oladiji     Oba Of Jebba     Halidu Danbaba     Lawal Olohungbebe     N-Power     NITDA     Yusuf Mubarak     Tuesday Assayomo     Iyabo Dupe Adekeye     Yusuf Olaolu Ali     Kamaldeen Ajibade     Idowu Laro     Gwanara     Radio SBS     Kwara Basketball Association     Bashir Adigun     Kayode Zubair     Najim Yaasin     Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital     Mohammed Ghali Alaaya     Bolaji Aladie     Muhammed Akanbi     Chartered Institute Of Personnel Management Of Nigeria     Abdullahi Atanda     Egbejila     Kwara North     Abiodun Oyedepo     Kayode Issa     Ilesha Gwanara Road    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Ojuekun Sarumi     Ishaq Oloyede     Rafiu Olasile     Emir Of Ilorin     John Obuh     Yomi Ogunsola     Mustapha Olanipekun     Countryside Emerging Leaders Fellowship     Kola Olota     Bola Olukoju     Ekiti     Bola Iyabo Ibiyeye Adisa     Amos Bajeh     Sunday Otokiti     Ilorin Emirate Stakeholders Forum     Zulu Gambari     CLAY POT     Lasiele Alabi Yahaya     Police Commissioner     Dan Iya Of Ilorin     Alore     Roseline Oni Aremu     Grillo     Abubakar Ndakene     Ilorin Descendants Progressive Union     General Tunde Idiagbon International Airport     Maimunat Oloriegbe     Omoniyi Ayinla     Shuaib Olarongbe     Sanitation Exercise     Sidikat Uthman Ajibola     Yoruba     Yahaya Seriki     Ridwan Agboola     Ladi Hassan     Ubandoma     Kwara State Coalition Of Business And Professional Associations     Olam Food Ingredients     VADA     AGF Abdulrazaq     Kuliyan Geri     Radio SBS     Ibrahim Abiodun     Alfa Modibbo Belgore     Amada Jidda     Yomi Adeboye     Tafida     KWATMA     Magaji Erubu     Kwara Basketball Association     Alabere     SDP     Abdulrauf Yusuf     Alaiye     Hassan Taiye Salam     Lanre Issa-Onilu     Joana Nnazua Kolo     Tunde Kazeem     Olatunji Moronfoye     Sadiq Buhari     Elekoyangan     Aisha Ahman-Pategi     Muhammed Aliyu     Garment Factory     Eleja Taiwo Banu     Public Holiday     Ilesha Gwanara Road     Abatemi Usman     Temitope Ogunbanke     Damilola Yusuf Adelodun     Onilorin Of Ilorin     Adamu Jemilat-Baki     Marufat Oladosu     Roheemat Hammed     Nigeria Customs Service     Umar Yakubu Jaja     Yahaya Abdulkareem Babaita